Beginners Mind Play Time

In the last year I have been on a journey of using my creativity as a tool for self-connection. As some of you know, this journey started when I was caretaking my mom with cancer. I lost track of my own needs and was drawn into the world of caring for a loved one with heightened needs and limited means to meet them at that time. I went to several support groups for caretakers; none were a fit for me. Then two of my friends were offering a year-long program supporting artists, called Momentum. That was the support I needed to create art, to put energy into my own creation. At the base of my art was the act of self-care and transformation. I wrote, drew and started playing the cello alongside the dance practice I have had for years. I used all of these as tools for me to get into the present moment and to let go of all the thoughts and fears I had about my mom’s cancer.

Over this year I recalled classes I offered in the past called InBodying Our Prayers. My creative process this year resonated with what I was doing with InBodying Our Prayers, where we would have a theme and play with ways of embodying this theme. I remembered how much I enjoyed offering these classes and seeing others step into the qualities we were exploring.  This last year has been focused on presence and self-care. One of the things that I have noticed is how powerful it is to get in the present moment, let go of what we think is happening, and just experience it unfolding. Or simply put, being in Beginners Mind.

Now I want to reach out to community more and play with some of these processes. I’m starting by offering two Saturday afternoons where I will facilitate some of these practices around stepping into this Beginners Mind. This will be a time for play and discovery in a beautiful garden that fosters the creative spirit.